BYU vs. Duquesne: NCAA Tournament Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about BYU and Duquesne in our Cougars vs. Dukes NCAA Tournament first-round preview.
NO. 6 BYU (23-10) VS. NO. 11 DUQUESNE (24-11)
Time, TV: 11:40 a.m. CT Thursday, March 21, TruTV, NCAA March Madness Live
Location: CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE
All-time series (DUQUESNE LEADS 2-0): Duquesne def. BYU, (1947, 1954.)
Winner: Advances to the Round of 32 on Saturday to take on the winner of No. 3 Illinois and No. 14 Morehead St.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS
BYU: C Aly Khalifa, F Noah Waterman, G Dallin Hall, G Spencer Johnson, G Trevin Knell
Duquesne: F Dusan Mahorcic, F Tre Williams, G Jake DiMichele, G Jimmy Clark III, G Dae Dae Grant
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BYU
F Fousseyni Traore
Junior forward Fousseyni Traore is somewhat of the odd man out for the Cougars. That’s not to say he doesn’t fit in, but in fact, it’s the opposite; Fouss’ game stands out. His 6-foot-6, 240-pound build provides the Cougars with a player who can post up defenders on the low block and score buckets in the halfcourt offense. BYU’s three-point shooting will be on the scouting report for Duquesne without question, which makes Traore an interesting player to watch in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
DUQUESNE
G Dae Dae Grant
Duquesne guard Dae Dae Grant was a matchup problem throughout the 2023-24 season and was one of the top-scoring threats in the A10 Conference. Grant is averaging 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 38.9% shooting from the field. While his three-point percentage dropped to 33.6% in his fifth season of college basketball, Grant has two seasons of 40%+ shooting under his belt. BYU will have to slow down Grant if they want to avoid the upset.
KEY STORYLINES
BYU
The key storyline to follow for the Cougars is their overall lack of wins in March Madness. While the Cougars have been to the NCAA Tournament 30 times throughout the program’s history, the team has an abysmal 15-33 record to show for it. BYU has the ability to get hot from the three-point line in a hurry, and if not, they could be headed for another early exit in March.
DUQUESNE
Duquesne is a solid defensive team and will have to take on one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country in their opening-round matchup. The Dukes surrendered the second-fewest points in Atlantic 10 this season, giving up an average of 66 PPG. The matchup will be good on good as BYU scored the most points of any team in the Big 12 Conference with 81.8 points scored per game. Duquesne will have to step up big defensively to pull off the upset.
PREDICTION
BYU 73, Duquesne 61. I think BYU will advance to the Round of 32 to take on the winner of Illinois and Morehead State. The Dukes’ defense is definitely formidable, but I think the Cougars have too much firepower to lose.
